A Woman Scorned
by VisualIDentificationZeta
Summary: SUMMARY: Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,  Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.  William Congreve, "The Mourning Bride"  1697


TITLE: A Woman Scorned

AUTHOR: VIDZ

PAIRING: Harm/Mac UST, Harm/Jen

SEASON: 9

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc of the TV show JAG are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fic. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: this thing is OLD! I can say that 5 years is old, right?

I don't know how many of you still remember it, but this fic was written at the same time as, and inspired by the silly little fic "It won't fit" and by the time I started posting "A sign of possession" this story was already formed and being written, that's why the idea proposed was a lot more developed. The premise of this fic was discussed in the ending author's notes for chapter 3 of "A sign of possession". Anyway, this fic as already being written at that point, but the plot idea was too ambitious because I then hit a major writer's block, largely due to having written myself into a corner, coupled with having lost interest in it due to the block, so it was abandoned and has been wasting space on my drive ever since. Anyway, remembered this fic recently so I decided to use what's already been written and complete it in it's current condition. Not really happy with doing this, but I know that otherwise this fic would never be continued or finished and I just want it moved out of my WIP folder without it being permanently deleted.

SUMMARY: Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,

Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.

William Congreve, "The Mourning Bride" (1697)

X

Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,

Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.

William Congreve, "The Mourning Bride" (1697)

x

When Jen pilfered an old, much abused, Naval Academy T-shirt out ot laundry she had no idea it would have such an effect on her life.

She and Mattie had a system going, kind of, they borrowed each other's clothes without asking... er, scratch that... it was mainly Mattie borrowing Jen's clothes without asking.

Because of the difference in their body sizes and the large difference in their bust sizes Jen couldn't wear any of Mattie's clothes, which means the "arrangement" was a completely one sided affair. Mattie also seemed to have a tendency to buy herself clothes that were somewhat tight and Jen had serious doubts she would be able to squeeze herself into one of Mattie's tops and still be able to breathe.

Which meant poor Jen was forced into waging an ongoing war of, not claiming new territory, but simply defending and being constantly forced to reclaim the one she already possessed. Never having been married or in a serious relationship and thus never having been the one stealing the clothes in a relationship, she couldn't appreciate the fact she was walking in the opposite gender's shoes for the occasion. Had she known, it would've undoubtebly given her a new perspective and appreciation for the male gender and their desperate, but ultimately futile, struggle to hold on to their possessions and keeping them away from the women in their lives.

So, when she was folding their dried laundry and spotted a gray T-shirt that was just slightly bigger than her own, she took the opportunity and confiscated it in the name of the State of Jen. It was an entirely justified action since she was running out of her own lounge-around-in tops, courtesy of a certain 15 year old who'd started hiding the clothes she'd stolen. In her glee over her new possession Jen never noticed the words Naval Academy printed in black letters on the front. Had she noticed them she would've undoubtebly rethought her actions and returned it to it's proper owner, another victim of the shirt-thief.

As it was, she quickly put it in her pile and started doing the ironing. Among her pile were also the clothes Mattie had comandeered and Jen had again recovered, but she knew they would disappear from her closet before the day was out.

She decided to hide this one among her underwear, knowing it would be safer there as Jen's a lot more mature and voluptuous figure meant Mattie had no use for Jen's panties.

Having absolutely no idea just how much trouble one such innocent decision would bring her.

x

It was Saturday morning, four days later, and Harm and Jen had just returned from the morning jog they usually shared on weekends. Competition is an amazing tool to have a person perform better than they would on their own.

When they came up to their floor, via the stairs they jogged up, they parted and each headed for the shower.

30 minutes later Jen came out of her shower, still slightly damp and relishing finally feeling like a human being again instead of a disgusting, smelly swamp monster with Arm-pits of Death. She took her time crossing the distance between the bathroom and the bedroom, exploiting the opportunity to enjoy the feeling of absolute freedom only the nudity in the privacy of your own apartment can inspire. There was something just so liberating at walking around and feeling nothing on your naked skin except for a gentle breeze.

This wonderful sensation was enhanced and more enjoyable if the skin was still slightly damp so the breeze or the cool air of the apartment was felt more acutely and the feeling of no clothes on her body to stiffle, cover or restrict was thus magnified.

Though she liked to enjoy these stolen moments of privacy, Jen was no exhibitionist - the shy young woman couldn't imagine being naked in front of an audience, unless it was forced by communal showers of a field base or basic traning. But with her steady job at JAG the probability of those situations was almost inexistent.

Mattie was staying over at a friend's house for the weekend and Harm always knocked and waited for permission before entering, so she knew there was no-one to cover herself up for.

She opened her underwear drawer and was relieved to find her newest conquest still there. As predicted, Mattie had already taken Jen's clothes so the discovery of a survivor of such a looting was very welcome.

She quickly put on fresh panties and slipped into the T-shirt, feeling it stick to her moist skin. Not only did the wet, darkened fabric conceal the inscription on the front from her eyes, but it also clung to her eye-catching curves, positioning the print below the curve of her full breasts, making it impossible for Jen to see the words from her angle. She tried to pull the cloth away from her body to make it looser, but it was in vain, as the fabric was quite damp by then.

Jen shrugged, there was nothing she could do, besides, she was hungry and didn't want to waste the time that could be spent eating, on such unimportant matters.

Giving the T-shirt one last tug she headed out the door and for Harm's apartment, knowing he'd said he had errands to run that would take at least an hour.

x

He always had a snack ready in his fridge to recharge after their run and had made it known many times before that, if she or Mattie were hungry, they were fully free to raid his fridge for food.

She knocked on his apartment door and called out "Harm!"

Trying the doorknob she found it unlocked and carefully inched the door open, then poked her head around the door and called Harm's name again. Nothing.

She shrugged, entered fully and headed for his kitchen.

Opening the fridge she stuck her head in it, quickly locating the snack and rummaged around for more. That cake in the back looked mightily inviting...

Figuring she'd run the calories off the next morning, Jen reached out with her small hand, salivating at the thought of the sugary goodness.

Suddenly she heard a gasp.

x

Webb was out of town which was the reason Mac had decided to visit her once-best-friend, ignoring the appalling way she'd been acting towards him for over a year now. But as she'd told Harm years ago, "Never apologize, it's a sign of weakness". Sarah MacKenzie never made mistakes or errors in judgement, because she didn't have weaknesses and she didn't have flaws. Sarah MacKenzie saw Sarah MacKenzie as perfect, flawless, above reproach and above mistakes. Everything she said and done was righteous and correct, if the other person or an outside observer disagreed, it was because they were wrong, misguided. Sarah MacKenzie didn't make mistakes.

She climbed the stairs, avoiding the unreliable elevator, and used the key Harm had given her 5 years ago to check on his apartment while he'd been flying, the key she'd "forgotten" to return, to unlock the door to the stairwell, stepping into the corridor.

She headed directly for Harm's open door and stepped inside with a determined gait.

The sight before her froze her to the spot, rage flooding her veins. She was unaware of her gasp of surprise.

x

Jen stiffened at the sharp intake of breath, figuring Harm had returned from wherever he'd gone off to, and looked up guiltily. She fully expected to see apartment's owner standing there and was already forming an apology for her presence in his apartment, when she froze.

The unexpected sight of LtCol Mackenzie looking at her with lightning coming out of her eyes made her blood run cold.

The thought What is Col. Mackenzie doing here at this hour? Harm didn't say he was expecting her... was acompanied by the realisation of just how underdressed she was. A T-shirt that came only to her knees, and was also clinging to her body, was the only thing she had on, beside her panties.

The full import of the situation suddenly hit her and she knew it wasn't good.

Shitshitshitshitshit...

x

Mac's angry gaze swept the small apartment, looking for evidence to confirm her suspicions.

It zeroed it on the trail of clothes on the floor leading to Harm's bedroom which had been undoubtebly left when the hormone-obssessed pilot-boy and the mousy enlisted had ripped them off each other in their hurry to get to the bed. Harm was probably still there, asleep after the night of what seemed like very passionate sex.

The sight of Jen, dressed in Harm's old Naval Academy T-shirt, the one she had always wanted to snitch herself, the fabric clinging to her skin, cheeks rosy and nipples poking from her chest, tenting the fabric where it was moulding to her breasts; her hair wet from the shower they had undoubtebly shared; her long, toned legs and feet bare from just getting up to face the day; looking in the fridge for something to replenish their energy to have another go at it; the guilty expression on Jen's face... all this served only to further confirm Mac's beliefs.

As with Bobbie, Catherine Gale, Alicia, Inez Elgin and even in Sydney, at Harm's inarticulate attempt at trying to explain that he wasn't ready yet and so many other times; Mac jumped to hasty, wrong conclusions once again.

In her rage and jealousy she didn't even consider the possibility that she was wrong, that this was all just circumstancial evidence, that nothing untowards had been going on.

She didn't think of the possible cause for the strewn clothes being that Harm had made the mess when he'd dashed for the shower after returning from his jog. She didn't consider consider the possibility of Jen being in Harm's apartment just for the food and having entered it just minutes before Mac. She failed to acknowledge the fact that there was no sight nor sound of Harm in the apartment, further making her assumptions improbable.

After all, if Harm and Jen had just had sex in the shower, with Jen's skin and hair still being a little damp, where was Harm? Shouldn't he still be in the shower or moving inside the bedroom, if not with Jen in the kitchen?

Jealousy tends to make people irrational, illogical, makes them react unthinkingly, hastily and vengefully, not considering the fallout of their actions.

As she had also done previously, when Harm had been appointed judge for a case with a Naval Aviator, when she'd publicly and intentionally without hesitation, thought or regret questioned Harm's honor and integrity, knowing what it would do to his career and reputation, even though she'd known in her mind that Harm was the embodiement of these two traits; Mac was filled with only the desire to destroy her enemy.

This time the mistake made out of jealousy would be even more dangerous.

x

She made one last angry, disgusted sound, one that came out sounding like a growl and turned on her heels, marching out the door.

In the corridor she collided with the man himself who had just returned from the laundry room, holding the basket with his clean laundry.

"Hey, Mac, where are you going?"

She rounded on him, rage, rejection and hate spewing out of her.

"YOU!... You!... Now I know why you asked her to move in with Mattie. You didn't get enough elsewhere so you decided to have a stand-in living close by if you needed more. You go after the young ones now? Robbing the cradle now, Harm? YOU... YOU... YOU BASTARD!"

A resounding SLAP! was heard throughout the floor. The force of the hit knocked Harm's head to the side, but otherwise he didn't move, years of experience and training making sure he didn't lose his footing, making the effect quite disappointing for his attacker.

He turned surprised, wounded eyes on Mac, who just growled and stormed out of the building.

x

Harm stood there, the basket still in his arms, stunned over what had just happened.

His cheek still burned from Mac's palm, the fact that she raised her hand on him hurt him more than the actual physical pain.

No matter how many insults and barbs they'd thrown at each other through the years of their dysfunctional and volatile friendship, he'd still always believed they had an unspoken agreement and enough friendship, respect and integrity not to ever let their fights become physical. It seemed Mac had a different opinion on the matter.

He felt something wet on his lip and absetmindedly wiped it away. Looking down he was surprised to find blood on his fingers. The stinging in his lower lip answered all his questions.

Numb and stunned from his encounter with Mac he staggered into his apartment.

There he found Jen, looking like an embodiement of a wet dream, minus the horrified, guilty and panicking look, of course.

But he was too shocked from the events to even remotely appreciate the sight.

"What just happened?" he croaked hoarsely.

Jen, with tears almost brimming over from the knowledge of what would happen soon, shrugged and gestured down herself, indicating the state of her undress.

"Oh." whispered Harm. Having it pointed out to him he was finally able to appreciate the sight before him.

He had always been aware that Jen was a very beautiful woman, when completely honest or drunk he would even go so far as to admit she was even more beautiful than Mac, but it was never more apparent than at that second.

Jen shifted her weight uncomfortably, completely aware of Harm's appreciative gaze.

While by any other man it would've been sleazy and she would've felt dirty afterwards, needing a shower to get rid of the feeling, but with Harm it was different.

They were close friends, they knew each other better than they did anyone else and she knew Harm wasn't voluntarily making her uncomfortable with his staring. In fact, she was flattered because she knew his was a fully honest reaction to her and because she'd made him lose that tight grip on his behaviour he always had.

Being honest with herself she had to admit he had the right to stare unabashedly and that she liked he was attracted to her, because she had often checked him out when no-one was looking and definitely liked what she saw.

They had their own private mutual appreciation society going, one that was unspoken and un-acknowledged and that was the way she liked it.

If only it wasn't for the regs and the fact he was in love with someone else.

x

Mac was boiling mad and driving recklessly without any direction, making it a wonder she hadn't been pulled over by the police by now.

She just couldn't get the sight of that puny little girl dancing around Harm's kitchen naked! _How dare she! How dare she put her moves on him, she _knows_ he's mine. EVERYBODY knows he's mine! And, yet, there she was, showing off for him! That little bitch dared to have sex with what belongs to ME! I hope she enjoyed it because it's gonna be the last time she ever did it!_

The scene from the apartment kept playing over and over in her head, making her even angrier, as her thoughts became more and more enraged.

_I allowed her to live with Mattie, next door to him, because I TRUSTED her to keep her hands off him. And she goes and does that to me! _

He was Mac's and no other woman was allowed to go near him!

In her delusional state Mac completely ignored the fact that she had been ignoring him for years, as a matter of fact, just a year ago she herself had bluntly told him she didn't want a relationship with him and later on proceeded to shoot down every attempt at regaining their friendship he had made, while looking for sexual gratification with other men.

_Who do they think they are?! Doing that to me! ME!_

He was supposed to wait around until she decided she wanted him and not go to another woman!

Especially not to a younger woman.

Who outclassed Mac in every way.

_I'll make her pay! I'll make them BOTH pay for betraying me!_

With a malicious grin she took the next exit and headed towars McLean.

There was a certain Admiral she needed to visit. Officially.

x

Standing there as an awkward silence hung in the air between her and the Commander, Jen was acutely aware of just undressed she was.

She _had_ intended to be in and out before the man of the house returned, but she now knew that was no excuse to go prancing around his apartment in only a T-shirt, with her long legs bare.

Red heat crawled up her neck and suffused her cheeks when she took note of his surprised eyes taking in her frame, noticing just how little she was wearing. She could do nothing to cover herself up so she just stood there, shuffling in her spot, trying to come up with a way to dispell the oppressive silence, while feeling her core heat up at his gaze.

Pressing her thighs together to try to quench the fire and hunger rising there, she cursed her body for betraying her inner desires when she was desperately clinging to the regs. But her body knew what it wanted and by preparing itself for it, even against her own flusteration, it tried to force her into the corresponding action.

Sneaking a peek at him she realized befuddled his ears were dark red and he was trying to keep his eyes away from her, but his self-control wasn't perfect and every second or so he chanced a glance her way. The sheer heat and desire in those smoldering aquamarine depths was unmistakable and Jen's throat tightened, going dry, as her body responded encouragingly, humming in pleasure.

Confused as to why he was acting this way, like a shy teenager, she looked down at herself and gasped in horror.

The damp T-shirt had plastered itself tightly to her body, emphasising every feature of her petite voluptuous frame from her tight abdomen to her generous chest. To make matters worse, the cold from the fridge had worked it's magic on her without knowing.

Her body had enthusiastically responded to the chill in the usual way, which was why she currently had two damn Lighthouses of Alexandria standing tall, big and proud on her twin islands, winning against the storm of the cloth and her mortification.

They were like high beams of xenon-powered headlights, blinding incoming traffic and that traffic was one COMMANDER Harmon Rabb. As in OFFICER to her ENLISTED, as in OUT OF BOUNDS. Definitely not in the group of people she should be flashing her high beams at, much less prance in their apartment naked like she belonged there and had full right to be undressed like that in their presence.

Jen knew her twin Babylon Towers had not been the cause for MacKenzie's explosion, the roots were much deeper than that, but couldn't help but feel they had exacerbated an already volatile situation.

Realisation of just how bad it had all looked to the jealous, vindictive woman and in what a terrible situation they were in because of it, Jen's face fell as she gave a pathetic whimper of distress.

She saw Harm's face somber at her change in mood and take a step towards her, doubtlessly to comfort her, his previous desire forgotten, her upset making him forget just how inappropriate her state of dress was and how improper such an action in would be in light of it.

It was an instinctive reaction, one borne from the part of her that was all Navy and was right now verbally abusing her for her reckless actions and for putting herself into this position in the first place, Jen's hand shot out to stop him.

Obeying her mute desire to be left alone, Harm froze in his tracks and searched her eyes to give him an inkling of what she was thinking.

The raging storm of emotions and thoughts he found there told him Jen was desperately confused and didn't know herself. She was running on instinct and on training.

Which was why it came as no surprise to him when she decided it was time for her to get out of there.

Harm knew it was the only right decision otherwise they would end up doing something that would _really _be breaking the frat regs. But no matter how much he knew that it was the correct thing to do and how much he supported this course of action, he couldn't help but feel the hurt and disappointment almost ripping his chest apart, giving life to self-doubts and battering the already-low self-esteem and almost-dead ego. Delivering the finishing blows to what other women had started, as recently as Catherine Gail, but predominantly Sarah MacKenzie.

Jen made a desperate dash for the door and for Harm, who still had no clue just what the hell she was doing in his apartment in nothing but one of his old T-shirts. The T-shirt that had been missing since she and Mattie had moved in next door.

Yet, even with the seriousness of their situation he couldn't help but acknowledge the fact that that T-shirt looked way better on her than it ever had on him. He was also a man enough to admit he definitely loved how it clung to her lovely body and showed off the effects of the cold air on the part of anatomy that for some strange reason both sexes possessed, even though men had no need for.

Jennifer Rabb... er, Coates! _Damn it, Rabb, pull yourself together! She's an enlisted, you can't think of her like that! And what in the blazes are you doing, already thinking of her as a woman you'd like to marry, you never even dated her!_ Anyway, Jennifer COATES was not only an amazingly beautiful person, one who's personality drew him in like a moth to the flame, but also a stunningly gorgeous woman. She was also the explanation for Harm's unexplained heartache whenever he went to bed alone. Or spent pretty much any time alone.

His tormentor was then suddenly right there and squeezed past him through the door, both of them gasping at the contact of one interested body with another. If things hadn't been desperate before, they'd only been made worse now.

When she was clear of the door she ran to her apartment, disappearing inside and firmly closing the door. Then she leaned with her back against it and proceeded to breathe deeply, in an effort to calm herself down. Her hands went up to her cheeks to check whether she was just imagining things, confirming her suspicions when she felt them burning like a white-hot furnace, her pulse hammering in her veins like a jackhammer.

Even with the acutest mortification of her life, she knew her body was experiencing the level of arousal she had never felt before. And the man hadn't even touched her! Heck, the only thing he'd done was to send her a couple of glances against her will...

Her mind getting away with her, she imagined those large, skillful hands on her body, her lips on her neck, his ahem inside her... If her reaction to mere looks was anything to go by, she'd probably have a heart-attack even before things had gotten half-way there!

Maybe a splash of cold water on her over-heated face would help... Or better yet, some alone time in the privacy of the shower.

Harm stared for a few seconds at where Jen had disappeared to, then shook his head and headed towards his bedroom, his boxers uncomfortably tight and his gait awkward, as it was hard to walk in his present state. He needed another shower. A _long_ shower.

x

Finally Monday arrived after the longest weekend in the lives of Harmon Rabb and Jennifer Coates.

They had avoided each other for pretty much the whole Saturday, uncomfortable with what had happened between them. They'd known for a while now they found each other attractive and engaging, but the strength of their reactions had blown them away and embarrassed them thoroughly. Plainly put, they didn't trust themselves with each other, not without a chaperone.

Things only got slightly better on Sunday morning when Mattie returned, the young girl unknowingly trust into the middle of the situation like a wedge.

At the ritually shared Sunday lunch the two adults had managed to pretend nothing had happened and it seemed they had also decided to completely ignore the issue. They say 'ignorance is bliss' and Harm and Jen certainly took it seriously. If they didn't talk about it, they didn't acknowledge it.

If they didn't acknowledge it, they didn't have to make the tough choice neither was ready for yet: either request transfers in the interest of preserving regs and the reputation of the Navy, whatever it was, or sacrifice at least one career for something neither of them was sure would work.

Mattie had picked up on unexplained vibes and had observed them with a strange look on her face for most of the meal, but due to her inexperience couldn't figure out what was going on so decided on saying nothing.

Who knows how long it would've gone on like that had Admiral Chegwidden not called them into his office first thing Monday morning, even before the staff call.

x

"Reporting as ordered, sir!"

"Take a seat." ordered the Admiral.

Chegwidden took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to think of what to say. The temptation to ream them out and then throw them in the brig, pending charges, was overwhelming, but to his own immense surprise he reigned it in. He honestly had no clue why because he'd been doing things this way for years now. Maybe it was because he just wanted to leave a different legacy behind when he retired, so that not everybody could say they hated him and all he'd done was make everyone around him miserable.

He exhaled slowly and noisily, expressing intense displeasure and making the sentenced... er... the accused, wince.

The fact that both of them were being summoned at the same time was too much of a coincidence to _be_ a coincidence. Not with Mac having driven off in an rejected enraged huff just this past weekend. It was the Sydney airport all over again, but this time much, much worse. Actually, it was pretty much like during that friendly fire case when Mac had tried to stab him in the back and scuttle his career to insure her victory on the case.

"Do you know why you're here?"

The two in front of him shared a quick look. _So, that's how you're going to play it, huh? Standard tactic of fishing to let us hang ourselves by coming forth with things we're supposed to feel guilty of, sparing you the work._

"No, sir."

Chegwidden leaned back in his chair, scrutinizing them through narrowed eyes.

"You really don't know why you've been summoned?"

"No, sir."

Chegwidden's thoughts were eerily similar to their own. _Okaay, if _ that's _ the way they want to play this..._

"I have here" he fingered a piece of paper as if it would bite him "an official report, claiming that you two are co-habitating and having sexual relations."

Harm and Jen gasped "Excuse me, sir?" "Not true, sir!" was heard from both of them.

"Do you deny these allegations?"

"Of course, sir!" "Aye, sir!"

"May I ask who made these allegations?" asked Harm cautiously because that was what he was supposed to say, his suspicion already formed, but didn't want to acknowledge the truth yet because it would hurt too damn much.

"That's classified information, Commander, you know that."

Harm nodded, he'd expected this answer.

"So, what happens now, sir?" Jen's voice was so quiet Chegwidden had to strain to hear her.

AJ sighed regretfully. "I can't push this under a rug, not with an official report. There will have to be an investigation and you'll both have to answer some tough questions. For example your living arrangements."

"But, sir, our living arrangements are not against the regs. We are neighbors. You knew about this from the start, we ran the idea by you the day the Commander proposed it to me. We do not live together, we are not dating, nor do we have a sexual and/or romantic relationship."

"Do you agree with what Coates said, Commander?" the Admiral looked at Harm.

"Aye, sir, absolutely."

"Good. Then why don't you explain to me, Petty Officer, what you were doing in the Commander's apartment, wearing nothing but a T-shirt, obviously having just been in a shower and everything pointing out to the two of you having had sexual intercourse as recently as that morning?"

Harm and Jen looked at each other. That just confirmed the identity of the one that had reported them. Harm felt a crushing weight on his heart, this just confirmed it that Mac was irredeemable. They were also glad that the Admiral seemed willing to believe them, even though he was obviously still skeptical.

Harm looked at Jen, curious himself as to why she'd been in his apartment that morning, dressed like that.

Jen blushed, looking down, and wrung her hands. "I... uh... I'd just returned from my morning jog and had a shower. Mattie and I have this childish war over T-shirts and the one I was wearing was also the only one I could get my hands on. I didn't notice until it was too late that it was the Commander's T-shirt, from the Academy. Anyway, I was hungry and the Commander had made it known to Mattie and myself that if we ever needed food, we were allowed to search for it in his apartment. Our refrigerator was empty because I haven't had the time to make any shopping lately, so I had no other option but to go to the Commander's apartment. It was unlocked, I called out to see if he was there, but nobody answered. I've completely forgotten by that point that I was dressed inappropriately. I only intended to conduct a quick raid of the fridge and then go back to my place before the CDR could return. While I was looking for food LtCol Mackenzie entered and then seemed to jump to conclusions. She stormed out, ran into the Commander in the corridor, yelled at him, slapped him and left the building."

Chegwidden glanced sharply at Harm at that, for the moment ignoring the part about Harm giving Jen a standing offer to enter his apartment and raid his fridge. It wasn't exactly against the regs, since regs hadn't exactly predicted such an offer and since their situation was a lot different from what the regs usually have in mind. The whole thing with Coates living with the CDR's ward/daughter, but not with the CDR himself, and all that entailed was something that wasn't covered by regulations, making it one big gray land. They were over their ears down in a loophole, thanks to the shrewd thinking of one Navy Commander, and as such they didn't have much place to maneuver, their elbows banging against the walls as they moved.

Instead, Chegwidden concentrated on something that was much easier and very clearly handled in the UCMJ.

"Is that true, CDR? Did LtCol Mackenzie really physically assault you?"

Harm seemed reluctant to answer, but a glare of his superior persuaded him to fall in line. "Aye, sir, she did."

"What did she say to you before she hit you?"

Harm's eyes showed the sadness he felt over his former partner's actions. "She called me a choice of names, accused me of asking the PO to move in with my ward only so I would have a woman nearby in case 'I didn't get enough elsewhere and needed a stand-in to have more'. Then she accused me of 'going after the young ones now' and of 'robbing the cradle'. Then she called me another derogatory name and slapped me hard enough to split my lip."

Seeing the still visible mark on the man's lip, the Admiral looked thoughtful.

"I see. You know that you are fully in rights to file charges against her for assault and battery?"

"Yes, sir. I know, but I don't think I will. The LtCol wasn't thinking clearly at that moment, temporary insa..."

But to his surprise AJ leaned forward on his elbows on the desk and, frowning, disagreed.

"I strongly advise you against this course of action."

Harm reeled in surprise at his CO's words and stared at him flummoxed.

"Sir?"

AJ sighed "Mr Rabb, if what you say is true, then there is only one witness for the charges against you. We both know that with cases of a sexual nature, even if that person is found innocent during trial the doubt in that innocence will always remain in people's minds. Yes, I gave Coates permission to move in with your ward so you're covered in that respect, but there will still be an investigation, I can't avoid that with MacKenzie filing an official report. We'll be bringing in someone from the outside so nobody will have grounds to claim a cover-up or bias when the results of the investigation are revealed."

The accused nodded, seeing the logic in that course of action, though Harm's face showed trepidation. He remembered all too well the mettle of the outside lawyer Chegwidden had decided on for Harm's defence when the CDR had been on trial for LT Singer's murder. It hadn't been just one time that Harm had had the terrifying thought that the old man had _wanted_ Harm to be found guilty and imprisoned, insuring that end result by providing him a way sub-par defence.

He could've sued his attorney for malpractice, but the truth was he'd been so happy to be out of the brig and have the charges dropped, then with the crap Mac had brought down on him immediately after, that it had just slipped his mind.

It was good to know and a relief to see that the old jerk had finally found his path again and was working _for_ and not against him.

"The best way we can insure failure of the investigation before it even starts is to destroy Mac's credibility in this case. It's clear to us that her decision to report you two for fraternization was completely and purely vengeance-driven, evidenced by her verbal and physical assault, but unless we point that out ourselves, it's a not sure the investigator for your case will realize it by themselves."

Thinking AJ's proposition through, Harm had to agree in the end, seeing the logic. It was hard for him to charge what was once his best friend, but Mac had changed, for the worse. In the end, it was obvious she was now out of control, if she'd gone to their CO with the clear intent to destroy his and Jen's careers, possibly even send them to prison, out of jealousy, possessiveness, hurt ego and the vindictiveness she was so famous for.

She had to be stopped before she created an even bigger damage, for them or even for the Navy as well.

"You're right, sir." Harm sighed, giving in "Until I found out she went to you to report us I thought what she did at the apartment was just an act of temporary insanity and that she would cool off, realising the error or her wrong conclusions and regret the assault. But because she seems to be on a revenge trip and doesn't regret her actions or even acknowledge or believe she was wrong, these charges seem necessary, but I would personally prefer some other way of dealing with it, sir. The PO and I have never done anything to merit fraternization charges, nor have we ever been caught in what looked even remotely like a compromising situation except for this Saturday. I have to say I am disappointed with her for not trusting me even a little and jumping to conclusions the way she did. I thought she knew that I wouldn't endanger neither mine nor Coates' career, much less would I endanger my custody of Mattie for anything."

Chegwidden was silent, deep in thought, what the younger man had just said had a lot of truth in it and definitely made sense, especially the last part. As free as the man had been with bending the rules during his cases, he had always been careful not to break them. Even more, even IF Rabb would ever break a law, he would do it alone, he wouldn't drag anybody else down with him, he had too much respect for other people. Especially for Coates.

It hadn't escaped Chegwidden's notice that Harm viewed himself as something like a mentor to the young woman and took great pride in the way she'd turned her life around and accomplished so much in such short time. No, he definitely wouldn't endanger everything she'd worked for, just because of rampaging hormones.

And that was the crux: hormones were the very last reason why Harm would ever even think of breaking the rules. Sure, the man wasn't a virgin, though he seemed to have turned into a monk, but AJ had rarely seen a person less guided by hormones and desires of the flesh than the man before him.

Then there was his ward to consider. Even though AJ had seen her just once or twice, it was obvious Harm cared for the youngster like she was his own daughter. He was already on shaky ground by being a lone adult male having custody of a teenage female, a case practically unheard of, and any charge against him would without a doubt mean Mattie being immediately taken from him and given to the system.

The fallout of Mac's revenge would have to be handled discretely, in-house, and kept out of the accused records, with records of the investigation either sealed or destroyed.

After all, if this came out it would hurt the Navy's reputation.

After these thoughts had passed through his mind he shifted his attention back to them.

"Alright, here's what we'll do about her attack: we'll hold back with charging her with assault for now, but the investigator that will be handling your case will also have clear orders to investigate LtCol's attack on you. I want to keep this mess out of the newspapers and from the public finding out. Everything will be handled non-judicially and there will be no records of this entire mess."

Gratitude shined in Harm and Jen's eyes, but more brightly in Harm's, the man having a lot more to lose and quite aware why the Admiral had decided on this course of action, even if he was bewildered by the man's sudden change of attitude.

Satisfied with his own idea, AJ now turned to solving the root of the problem.

"Has there been anything else going on with the LtCol? We have all seen the changes in her personality since Paraguay, but it seems that we have underestimated the situation. I should've acted as soon as I noticed the changes and not have waited until something like this happened."

"Respectfully, sir, the Col has always had a pretty.. unique... view on how I should run my private life and about other women in my life. While the attack is something new, her tendency to jump to conclusions, regarding me and other women, is not. There have been several occasions to date that she manifested extremely jealous reactions to her conclusions that I am involved with another woman."

"What do you mean?"

"When LtCol Mackenzie was on trial for perjury, she came to my apartment. There she discovered Congresswoman Latham with whom I was discussing a work-related matter over a platonic dinner, and acted as if she had just found me cheating on her. Even though Mac and I were never, and I want to make this clear, we were never in a romantic or sexual relationship. She had no grounds to consider me unfaithful for having relationships with other women, but she did. She left my apartment in anger and, from what I later heard, went for sexual comfort to Colonel Farrow. There were also her degrading, deliberately offensive names for every woman I ever dated: Neurotic Annie, Jordan the Shrink, Video Princess. When she came to my apartment last Fall to ask me for help with the Imes files, she met Ms Gale who by then was quite obviously pregnant. Needless to say, Mac reacted badly to Ms Gale's presence in my apartment. Like I had just rejected her or cheated on her by having female company. Ms Gale's pregnancy didn't help matters, because Mac knew what I did to find out her location the previous May and she probably assumed the child was mine."

Chegwidden and Coates listened with rapt attention, the former making notes on a legal pad. It seemed that a lot had gone on behind the scene between the two senior officers that he'd been unaware of.

The whole mess was even more convulted than he'd believed and now he was regretting not having transferred one or both of them out as soon as he'd noticed the tension between them. But he'd been to enraptured with Mac's physical assets and the attention she'd paid him occasionally to want to transfer her out and he could never afford to lose Rabb if he could help it. He had been against Rabb switching his designators back to pilot for this exact reason, but the younger man had just been too determined to return to his true love for Chegwidden to be able to stop him.

Rabb's carrier stint back in '99 and how quickly the remaining staff had been overwhelmed by the case load even though it hadn't been more than usual, had showed quite clearly just how invaluable Rabb was to the smooth working of the office. That was demonstrated quite clearly yet again just last year with the Imes mess.

The staff had been incapable of dealing with the work, either because the remaining attorneys were incompetent or too involved with their strifes to pay their jobs any real attention. In the 6 months before Harm had returned to JAG they'd gone through only 18 percent of the work, but with Rabb on board and taking most of the load, the work had been completed in just 2 months.

And to think that Rabb's work load had consisted of: Imes' files, but three times that of what other attorneys were dealing with; his regular cases AND also FOIA requests on top of that!

Facts made more astounding by the fact that the man himself loathed paperwork and had always pushed it off on LTJG Austin, whenever he had been able to get away with it.

Especially the FOIA requests... they are something that usually LTJGs and Ensigns, rookie attorneys, deal with because it's menial, tedious work. They were his punishment for leaving JAG. For throwing his career away to rescue one of their own, the one that couldn't have been more ungrateful for the rescue from certain torture and death.

"On the other hand Mac always shot me down with a verbal attack whenever I inquired how her life was going. From declaring her private life being an off-limit discussion to throwing me red lights, she had no qualms shutting me out while she took it as her right and privilege to stick her nose into my private affairs and tell me who I can or can not see and how I should live. And these were all just cases of the LtCol assuming I was "cheating" on her. The crap she pulled while she was involved with someone are even more numerous and date as recently as the case on USS Wake Island, where she accused me of losing interest in her and pushing her into Webb's arms."

"Even though she's clearly already involved with the spook." muttered Chegwidden, seeing where Harm was going with this.

"Aye, sir, even though she's already there. What I'm trying to say, sir, is that the LtCol has always acted the way she had this Saturday, the verbal and emotional abuse has always been present, only the physical part is something new. However, I do fear that what happened in Paraguay has left deeper scars and traumas on her than we believed it did and just watered her already-erratic and volatile nature. I'm not sure how much of who she is, is due to PTSD or it's just because she always got away with it. No-one ever reeled her back in and put her in her place, so she came to think she can act the way she wants."

"I see. This is indeed worrying. If what you've told me is the truth then you two have nothing to fear. I will find a competent and fair JAG to investigate this matter. Until anything happens you are to continue with your work. Anything else?"

"No, sir!"

"Good, now get the hell out of here."

x

"It's been a LOOOOOOOONG couple of weeks." sighed Mattie as she put some salad on her plate.

"You can say that again." Harm exhaled as his eyes drooped closed for a second from the sheer emotional exhaustion.

"It's been a long couple of weeks." Mattie repeated with an impish grin, to which Harm just chuckled tiredly.

"At least it's finally over." found Jen the silver lining.

"Yeah and you both still have your jobs." Mattie seconded.

"But it was a touch and go there for a second." Harm and Jen winced at just how narrowly they'd avoided losing everything.

"Yeah, but it turned out okay."

Satisfied she nodded, then noticed the way the two adults were refusing to meet her eyes. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as cold dread filled her stomach.

"What aren't you two telling me?!"

"It's nothing big." Harm urged to reassure.

"It has to be if you refuse to look into my eyes."

"We only got a reprimand into our temporary files for allowing ourselves to get into such a situation." Jen interjected quickly, downplaying the seriousness of it.

"And we'll be under closer scrutiny for the next couple of months to make sure everything really _is_ above board and that we're really not doing anything we shouldn't."

"How much closer?" asked Mattie slowly.

"See the refrigerator and the counter next to it."

"Yes?"

"That close." Harm explained and received a glare from Mattie.

"We didn't want to worry you." Jen piped up, wanting to save the man, but managed only to get included in the glare.

After getting the dose of glowering Mattie decided they deserved, she made the effort to switch the conversation to another topic "What happened to Mac, anyway?"

Harm looked regretful "Well, after LT Teeg confirmed there's been no fraternization between me and Jen, she recommended charges against Mac for assault. As he promised, Chegwidden was determined to keep everything out of public, so there could've been no Article 32 and trial, which is why he handled everything as an Admiral's Mast. Mac had to undergo another psych eval, much more detailed than usually, and because she failed she will be spending the next 6 months in in-patient psychiatric treatment. After that..." he shrugged, he didn't know what the Admiral had planned for Mac after that, but Jen cleared that up.

"I heard him discussing over the phone a transfer to the Naval Operating Base in Adak for someone from our office." Jen nodded in confirmation at Harm's look of surprise "I'm sure. And since there is no-one else in the office that did anything to warrant that, there could be only one possibility."

Harm sighed, shaking his head as he muttered sadly "Oh, Mac, you really messed up this time, didn't you?"

Staring at Harm in utter confusion Mattie demanded "What does it mean?"

"NOB Adak is located on Adak Island, part of the Aleutian Islands." seeing Mattie still didn't understand, he put it blunty "The Aleutians are a career-ender, Mattie. Actually, they're the last billet for those who's careers have already ended, but who's commanding officers liked them just enough to allow them to sit out their 20 and get their pension and benefits, instead of just throwing them out on their sixes without them. Either that or they just messed up big enough to merit this kind of punishment, because you can only dream warm dreams of being transferred away once you've been sent there."

Jen nodded, then explained further "It's the most isolated posting you can get in the Navy. Out of sight, out of mind. By being assigned there it sends you a clear message that you've been deliberately forgotten, ignored, that you don't exist in the service anymore. From what I've heard it's one of the most depressing places on Earth, that's why it's used more as punishment than an act of mercy to let you get your pension."

Harm nodded, acknowledging Jen's alternate view on this point, though he had a feeling that in Mac's case it had been mercy. During the course of his partnership with Mac it hadn't escaped his notice that Chegwidden held an attraction for the female Marine.

This wouldn't have been anything to hold against the man because Mac _was _a PHYSICALLY extremely attractive woman, but it was unforgivable in the old man's case because he allowed his lust for the sexy Marine who knew how to use and flaunt her assets to color his perception and ruin his objectivity, thus allowing him to commit numerous acts of favoritism, which made his behaviour last May particularly baffling.

Yet, with Mac completely out of control and her increasingly obvious issues that couldn't be ignored anymore, the Admiral had finally been forced to act. Mac's actions had warranted time in jail and dishonorable discharge, but AJ had made the effort to find a way for her to still get her pension, even if that meant sentencing her to Adak. Deep into his musings it took him a second to realize Jen had gone on with her explanation so he made sure to tune back in.

"Always very cold, even in summer, raining, snowing, set in the Bering Sea, one of the most inhospitable and unfriendly seas. Being thrown out on your six and that way allowed to live where you want and how you want, is a gift compared to being reassigned there, even if it means losing your medical coverage and pension. And if you think the CO of Adak likes it there, think again, they lets everyone know how they feel about their posting. There are constant drills, deliberately set during ugliest weather and so on, everything planned so it makes you even more miserable than you could ever imagine."

"How do you know all this?" asked their ward suspiciously.

Jen grew pensive "For a time there it looked like I would be the next FNG there and it was made pretty clear to me what to expect if I went on as I did."

"FNG?"

"Freaking New Guy or, in my case, Girl." Jen explained, censoring the true F-word and replacing it with another, one more appropriate for the ears of a 15 year old.

Mattie nodded, then overtly dismissed that track and returned back to Mac's predicament. After a moment's silence she finally said, lowly "It's not like she didn't have it coming."

"Mattie!" Harm exclaimed, upset.

"What?!" Mattie defended "You can't say it's not true! After everything I found out about her since this whole thing started, I'm only surprised she wasn't bootted out years ago."

Still upset, unconsciously demonstrating just what a control the woman had always had over him, Harm looked at Jen. The Jen that had become much more by-the-book since the whole mess had begun, so much so Harm was just waiting for her to start saluting when entering his apartment. Or offer to move somewhere else.

It was only a natural reaction, he supposed, to becoming much more rigid and distanced after being accused of fraternization, especially since they both knew they were being watched closely, but that didn't mean he liked it when they were by just themselves. It would take time, probably a few months, before they'd be back to their previous familiarity, one he was sorely missing.

As depressing it was, he had only one close friend, Jen, and losing that closeness between them left an aching hole in his stomach.

"That may be true, but it's still not kind to say something like that. She was never unfair to you, she even talked your father into letting you stay with me."

"Okay, that may be true." Mattie conceded grudgingly, but unwilling to capitulate "She was always nice to me, those two or three times we talked since Christmas, but that doesn't matter when it comes to everything she did to you since you've become partners. Or what she tried to do to BOTH of you, to the two most important people in my life. That's not something a friend would do. Would you just let it go if someone deliberately tried to ruin _your_ parents?"

He had to admit she was right on that one, completely missing the part where she subtly referred to him and Jen as her parents. Jen didn't miss it though, the shocked look she was sending the young girl proved it.

The rest of the meal went by mostly in silence, interspersed with the occasional request for salt, which suited Harm just fine as he was deep in thought, reviewing recent events for almost the thousandth time.

He still didn't know why Mac had done what she had. She'd been jealous plenty of times before, what was it that had pushed her over the edge this time?

He'd known things between them weren't as they could've been, their former friendship struggling not to slip from chilly professional relationship into outright hostility, but he'd never thought Mac would try to destroy everything he'd worked for in his life.

Sure, she'd tried to stab him in the back a couple of times, but not in such a premeditated fashion. Thank goodness it had backfired on her because if she had succeeded the lives of three people would've been irrevocably changed for the worse.

Hopefully the six months in the Navy's nut-ward and the five years on Adak would straighten her out so by the time she retired she would, for the first time in her life, be capable of living as a normal mature, adjusted adult. It would definitely be a novelty for her.

As for him... He still had his job, but more importantly he was still healthy and still had Mattie and he still had Jen's friendship.

And aren't health, family and friends the most important gifts in life?

In the end this whole mess had also taught him a lesson: from now on, Harmon Rabb Jr. would be very, very careful of the kind of women he let in.

IF he let any woman get close ever again.

THE END

**Reviews are love.**


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